Nike Releases More Shoes for People With Disabilities

Nike has released three more shoes with its FLYEASE entry system, designed for both kids and adults with disabilities. FLYEASE is a type of zipper that goes around the heel of the shoe. This makes it easier for someone to easily pull the shoes on and off.

The letter made it into the right hands. When Tobie Hatfield, a Nike shoe designer, read Matthew’s request, he immediately got to work developing a prototype for a shoe Matthew and other people with disabilities could wear comfortably.

Nike brings FLYEASE to kids across the LeBron Soldier IX, the Air Pegasus 32, and the Nike Flex Run

The LeBron Soldier 9 FLYEASE for kids and adults is available now in some markets and on Nike.com, and globally beginning March 15. The Pegasus 32 FLYEASE and the Flex Run FLYEASE for kids and adults will be available globally and on Nike.com beginning April 1 and May 1, respectively.

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To the Friend Who Felt I Was Selfish for Getting Pregnant When I Have a Disability

My friend took one look at my stomach, then stared up at me in horror. It was a friend I hadn’t seen in over a year. Not quite the response you expect when you run into an old friend. I watched her expression turn from horror to anger. Baffled, I glanced down at my stomach. Was my shirt somehow offensive? Had I dropped food all over myself? What could possibly cause such a reaction? As I looked down all I could see was my 18-weeks-in-the-making baby bump.

The friend stormed over to me.

“You’re pregnant?” she demanded.

“Well, yeah.”

I still couldn’t figure out why that would be upsetting to her. Up until then, everyone who had found out had been happy and excited for me. I was delighted by the pregnancy, especially as my health conditions, medications and going through chemotherapy had dramatically reduced my chances of getting and staying pregnant in the first place.

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Her words crashed over me like a ton of bricks. The friend explained she had chosen to never have children, as she has a chronic and potentially inheritable condition. I listened to her reasoning. I understood her perspective. I also understood in that moment she was probably never going to appreciate my reasons for having this child. I tried to explain anyway.

I told her that if my parents had known I would end up with rheumatoid arthritis and complex regional pain syndrome, I would have still wanted them to have me. My life has value. I have value. Yes, I live with chronic pain and disability. I also have a life filled with wonderful people and experiences. I contribute to society. I am loved and love in turn. I would never deny a child those things, even it does mean they end up having to face what I’ve been through.

I explained that inheriting the RA and/or CRPS is hardly a given. The reality is that no one in my immediate family has either condition, yet I ended up with both. My child may never develop either condition, or they may get both or they may have something else completely. I will love that child fiercely and with every piece of me no matter how their life turns out. They will be perfect to me no matter what hand life gives them.

Finally, I told her that if my baby does end up with a disability then he/she will have best possible role model in life: me. I may struggle at times with my health conditions, but I have never been beaten. On more than one occasion I have defied the odds and achieved what I had been told was impossible for my body. My child may grow up with a disabled parent, but they will be better for it — not worse for it like my friend implied.

I conceded that I did have some fears for this baby, for their health and mine, for what the future might bring. Did it make me selfish that I became pregnant despite these fears? No. I felt it made me very much like any other parent out there who worries for their child and only wants the best for them.

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As expected, my arguments did little to sway my friend’s mind. However, we’d both said our piece so there was nothing further to say. As she walked away though I saw her turn back for a moment and look at my growing bump. Not with horror or anger but with doubt. I looked back down at my bump with no doubt at all.

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Couple Cooks Up Plan to Help People With Disabilities Enter the Job Market

Walter and Judy Gloshinski opened Smiling With Hope Pizza in Reno, Nevada, in January, and the business has already received an incredible response from the community. Not only has the demand for their pizzas been so high that they’ve run out of dough a few times, but they are aiming to turn their eatery into a place that offers people with disabilities steady employment.

“We did it because it needed to be done,” Gloshinski told ABC News. “There are no jobs out there for these kids.”

For the last two decades Gloshinski worked as a special educator opening businesses in California, Texas and Ohio with public schools that trained students with disabilities for competitive work, according to the Smiling With Hope Pizza website.

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Gloshinski says the training process is thorough, but they try to tailor it around the needs of their employees. “We try to assess their skills, and place them in a situation where they can be successful and grow,” he told ABC News. “Right now one of our trainees likes to be in the back. She does all the dishes, puts together pizza boxes, and she does the garlic knots. The other trainee is a people person, so he is up front seating people, bussing tables and waiting tables.”

The Gloshinskis currently work with two volunteer chefs and two trainees with developmental disabilities, and they’re hoping to expand. Smiling With Hope Pizza’s ultimate goal is to “become a nonprofit and provide safe housing, pension plans, vacations, for our employees,” according to its website.

“Contrary to common belief, hiring people with disabilities is actually good for the bottom line and improves corporate culture. Technology has eliminated or lessened many of the barriers that were previously faced by people with disabilities in the workforce. Any necessary workplace accommodations are low in cost and ultimately positively impact the workplace.

As more business like Smiling With Hope Pizza showcase the talents of these workers, more people with intellectual disabilities will find employment and more companies will take the chance at hiring them.”

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Mindy Scheier, a fashion designer, founded Runway of Dreams to work with the fashion industry and adapt mainstream clothing for people with different abilities. She started the organization after her son Oliver, 11, who has a rare form of muscular dystrophy, asked her to buy him a pair of jeans.

Oliver, then 8, came home from school and said he wanted to wear jeans to school the next day because his friends were wearing them. Scheier didn’t know what to do. She knew because of his mobility issues, pants with a button and zipper would present challenges, and the jeans would hinder his ability to wear his leg braces. But it was also a priority for Scheier to allow her son to wear the things he wanted, despite the challenges he might face.

“It was more important to me to have him walk into school with his head held high than to worry about the other things,” Scheier told The Mighty. “That was when I realized a change needed to happen. Every kid and adult in the differently-abled community deserves to wear the same clothing that everybody else does.”

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Scheier got to work looking for adaptable mainstream clothing, but soon discovered not many options existed. So she began buying clothes off the rack and modifying them to suit Oliver’s needs.

She then started assembling focus groups to get a feel for what kinds of clothing needs the community as a whole had. Based on issues the people reported with most pieces of clothings — like difficulty with zippers, pull-over style sweatshirts, etc. — Scheier began developing wearable technology and designing modifications that would allow people to self-dress.

Tommy Hilfiger // Credit: Richard Corman

Realizing the extent of the market for this type of service, Scheier began to think about what brands would be best to pioneer the movement. Her crusade eventually led her to Tommy Hilfiger.

“They’re a brand that caters to the family unit and their clothing goes from children all the way up to adults, but also they have a very big affinity for philanthropic movements,” Scheier told The Mighty. “I felt comfortable they were going to understand.”

Tommy Hilfiger // Credit: Richard Corman

Based on her research, Scheier has modified the Hilfiger collection in three main ways.

The first is closures: buttons and zippers have been replaced with a special stylish magnet closure called MagnaReady®. The second is the adjustability of the clothing: pant legs, sleeves lengths and waistbands are adjustable because the sizes needed for seated comfort differ from standing. Third is the ways in which a person can get in and out of the clothing: pull-over style clothing can be difficult due to low muscle tone, limb differences or other disabilities, so the seams have been adjusted to allow for the clothing to be entered through the back rather than over the head.

All apparel is still from the mainstream Tommy Hilfiger spring collection.

The MagnaReady® fashionable magnetic closure system for people with limited mobility.

“As far as I know, this will be the first mainstream, big name brand to offer an adaptable clothing collection,” Scheier told The Mighty. “This will be a huge initiative in the fashion industry that will truly be innovated by Tommy Hilfiger.”

Scheier says Runway of Dreams isn’t done yet. Her organization won’t stop until as many brands as possible are offering adaptive versions of their clothing.

Tommy Hilfiger // Credit: Richard Corman

For Scheier, it’s a passion project born out of love for her son. He has seen it from the beginning, with Scheier ripping apart clothes on the kitchen table, all the way through the final photo shoot for the collection, in which he’s a model.

Oliver Scheier. Tommy Hilfiger // Credit: Richard Corman

“It’s an amazing thing for him and my other kids to witness this journey and show them that you can make a difference and if you believe in something, you can make it happen,” Scheier told The Mighty.

Check out the video below, by Helen Polise, for more on the collection and the children modeling it.

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Edward Bright’s arms and legs were amputated when he developed meningitis as a child, and after his 16th birthday last month, Bright began the process of switching from the U.K.’s Disability Living Allowance (DLA) benefit system to Personal Independence Payments (PIP), according to the Mirror. However, rather than a seamless transition, Bright’s parents were furious when the U.K.’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) notified the family that Edward would lose his benefits if he failed to attend an assessment meeting at the DWP’s office in Derby, England.

“They wanted him to go to Derby and even gave instructions on how to walk to the office from the station,” Edward’s mother, Clare Bright, told the Mirror. “He’s in a wheelchair waiting for an operation in April. He can’t walk. It’s a shamble.” After receiving the notice, the family demanded a home assessment, but was still furious with the response, which asked about Edward’s work prospects and daily life.

“It’s­ absolutely disgusting,” Edward’s father, Steve Bright, added in an interview with the Mirror. “He’s a quad amputee for God’s sake. It isn’t like he’s going to get better. He isn’t going to suddenly grow new arms and legs … They know full well the extent of his disabilities. They have no hearts.” Edward’s story is featured on the cover of the Feb. 18-edition of the Mirror, and hundreds of readers have reacted on the publication’s Facebook page:

To add insult to injury, Clare Bright says the family was told Edward would be given interim payments while being assessed, but he has yet to receive them, according to the Daily Mail. Officials have since admitted to making a “mistake,” adding that the letter should not have been sent in the first place and that the case will be resolved “imminently.” A DWP spokesperson said in a statement to the Daily Mail, “In this instance a paper-based assessment has been completed and there is no need for a face-to-face assessment.”

“There should be a mark on his case saying, ‘He is disabled and always will be – don’t contact him for assessment,’” Steve Bright told the Daily Mail. “It should get to the point where, with certain disabilities, there are no questions asked. I can see why they have to do these assessment, because of the amount of people who falsely claim benefits. Sadly, it’s people like that make it a lot harder for the genuine cases.”

In 2013 the DWP introduced the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which replaced the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) benefit system, and there have been countless complaints ever since. In June 2014, the Public Accounts Committee described the implementation of PIP as “nothing short of a fiasco,” according to The Independent on Sunday. In an article published in August 2015, the publication reported nearly 25 percent of people applying for disability benefits are encountering “serious difficulties,” including delays, unfair dismissal of claims and confusion over eligibility.

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To the People Who Think There Is Always a Visible Sign of Disability

I see the looks I get when I hand a health care provider my Medicare card along with my private insurance card. I see, and sometimes hear, judgmental actions when I use a handicapped spot in a parking lot.

Most people have their own interpretation of what a person with a disability looks like. They seem to think there is always a visible sign. They picture a wheelchair or some sort of deformity. They do not picture a 20-something woman who has no visible signs of a disability. However, the reality is that many disabilities can be invisible.

When I first got sick, I never got those questioning looks. I had tubes that were impossible to hide, I was in a wheelchair and I had to have someone with me most of the time to assist with my daily activities. During that time in my life, I faced a variety of struggles. The one thing I did not face was random strangers wondering if I was lying about having a disability.

After four years of being confined to bed and a wheelchair, I was able to get the medication and physical therapy I needed to start walking. Even though I do not use adaptive equipment to walk now, it takes effort to leave the house. I work part time, I do my own grocery shopping, and I enjoy going out to eat with my husband. Some days, to get to do those things, I may need closer parking or some other consideration.

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There is no one way people with disabilities look. Under the outside appearance of many healthy-looking individuals can be scars, dysfunctional organs, rare disorders and so much more. I wonder if there will be a day when people do not whisper and question if I am being dishonest.

My hope is that as we join together as a community, people will slowly become more
and more aware of rare and invisible diseases. In the meantime, please don’t question if I really need that handicapped parking space, disability insurance or extra day off. Please don’t doubt that I really do have a rare disease that limits me in many ways. And most of all, please understand that I am working hard to fit into a world that can often be difficult for me to navigate without a little help.

The Mighty is asking the following: What’s one thing people might not know about your experience with disability, disease or mental illness, and what would you say to teach them? If you’d like to participate, please send a blog post to [email protected] Please include a photo for the piece, a photo of yourself and 1-2 sentence bio. Check out our Submit a Story page for more about our submission guidelines.